My Greatest Treasure

  

          Yesterday my sweet and thoughtful husband had a day off from work. Rather than taking the day for himself (which would have been a very reasonable thing to do) he gave me the morning off and took care of the kids so I could have the morning to myself.

          While I did some cleaning, I took advantage of the quiet in the house and listened to a John Piper sermon called “Don't Waste Your Life”. These words from the sermon have been on my mind the past day and a half....

          “...Paul displays the worth of Christ by counting everything else as loss for Christ's sake. 'I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of Christ.' This means that the life that displays the worth of Christ – the unwasted life – is the life that uses everything to show that Christ is more valuable than it is. Money is used to show that Christ is more valuable than money. Food is used to show that Christ is more valuable than food is. Houses and lands and cars and computers are used to show that Christ is more valuable than they are. Family and friends and your own life are a place to show that Christ is more valuable than any of them.

          The way that we display the supreme worth of Jesus in our lives is by treasuring Christ above all things, and then making life choices that show that our joy is not finally in things or even in other people, but in Christ.”

          Wow. These are challenging thoughts for me. It's easy to say that I treasure Christ above all else, but is that the reality in my life? Does my life actually look like I treasure Christ over everything else? Or perhaps another way to phrase it would be this: I look around at all the things God has given to me or entrusted to me – that can include people, relationships, material possessions, etc.... Do I treat them, use them, or care for them in such a way that it is evident that I treasure Christ above all those things? Or have those things and people, themselves, become my treasure?

           These are sobering thoughts for me. Again, it's easy for me to tell myself that Christ is my highest treasure, but is that what my life looks like? Maybe it looks like my husband and my children are my greatest treasures. And indeed, they are my most precious treasures on earth. But do I value them more than I vaule Christ? Or do I treat them and care for them in ways that demonstrate that Christ is my supreme treasure?
           Perhaps it looks like I value a particular lifestyle more than anything else – like being able to garden and live in a rural place. Maybe my home, or my material possessions have become my greatest treasures. It could be a car, or a job, or money.... anything really. Social media.... does the amount of time that I spend on the internet demostrate that Christ is my highest treasure?

           Or maybe the thing that I value most highly is simply..... .myself. Far too often, it probably looks like my “to-do” list is my highest treasure. Being able to say that I got done what I wanted to do today. Have my goals, my dreams, my desires or my time become my greatest treasures? Or am I willing to lay aside my agenda and meet needs that come my way or lay aside my own plans because I value Christ more than these things of “mine”.

            Jesus, You are my greatest treasure. I want my life to demonstrate that – that I treasure You above all else. That I find my joy, my purpose, my all - in You.

You can listen to or read the whole sermon over here at Desiring God:

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/dont-waste-your-life--2

"Call Upon Me"

          Grace has been struggling with a bad cold this week. She seems pretty good during the day, but at night, and when she first gets up in the morning, her cough is pretty bad. Last night I put her to bed, and as she hadn't had a nap, she fell asleep right away. About a half hour later, though, I heard her coughing uncontrollably. By the time I got her downstairs, to steam up the bathroom and try to clear her lungs, she was struggling to breathe between coughs. I held her in my arms and just prayed, “Lord Jesus, please help her.” She immediately stopped coughing, her breathing became calm, and she fell back to sleep on my shoulder.

           As I sat there holding our precious child, I thought about my simple prayer, and how speedily God answered. How often do I fail to call on His name, struggle away on my own, and miss the miracle of having Him calm the storm in my life? Far too often, I'm afraid. Whether it's a physical problem, a hopeless situation, or an emotional battle I'm going through, so often my first response is to figure it out on my own. Instead of calling on His name, I try to fix things on my own, or overcome my problems in my own strength. Prayer is too often a secondary response, or a back up plan when I finally realize that it's not working to do this by myself. I want my initial response to be to call on the name of Jesus.

          No, all my problems won't necessarily go away as quickly as Gracie's cough did last night. But the name of Jesus is powerful. He does have power to heal, to calm my heart, to change the circumstances I find myself in, or to change my heart. No matter what my situation, when I call on Him, I can receive His strength. I don't have to face anything on my own. I can know the amazing miracle of having Almighty God work on my behalf.

           “Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”

                                                                                   -Psalm 50:15